Yes

by Michelle Bush

Created on: March 12, 2008

It's sad that parents have to be encouraged to take an active role in their children's education. Equally as sad is the fact that parents blame school boards and teachers when their children fail to receive an adequate education. As an educator, it is a sad state of affairs to see students enter college without even a basic education, some who were labeled as "honor students" by their respective high schools. Colleges and Universities across the country have been forced to teach remedial English and Math courses just to bring students up to par before they can enroll in the traditional freshman curriculum.

Parents seem to forget the education they received, or did not receive, while in school. If parents would evaluate what they missed as students, they could better prepare their children for the educational process. However, such is not the case. It's easier to place the blame elsewhere, but education begins at home. For the first five years of a child's life, he/she is exposed to a primary care taker. What parents teach their children during these first five years determines the quality of education received/gained. For example, a child entering school who cannot spell or write his/her name, does not know primary colors, cannot recognize basic shapes, and/or cannot read is at a disadvantage, and this is not the fault of the school board or the teacher; it is the parent's fault.

Parents should create an environment conducive to learning well before their children's school age years. One of the most important subjects taught in the school system, though taught incorrectly, is reading. If one cannot read, there is no reason to believe he/she can be successful in school. Unfortunately, the methods used to teach students to read is antiquated and ineffective. Students are taught to recognize words when they see them (through the use of the "sight word" method), and they are taught the proper way to pronounce words (through the "phonics" method). However, what is missing in these methods is the meaning of the word.

It's wonderful to be able to recognize a word and pronounce it properly, but if the meaning escapes the reader, comprehension is lost. Without comprehension, learning becomes a chore, causing many to become disgruntled with the learning process. If children are taught to read, their comprehension of all subjects increase dramatically. Unfortunately, it would require retraining of school teachers, and this is where school boards and teachers can be held responsible.

Ironical ly, the proper method for teaching the fundamentals of reading is being used in the school system, but it is used as a method to teach English as a second language. Consequently, parents can teach their children the proper way to read by introducing their children to prefixes, roots, and suffixes. These three components make up most of the English language. The beauty of it is the definition of respective prefixes, roots, and suffixes never change. Thus, when encountered in other words, the meaning can be detected by breaking the word into its various parts and assessing the meaning. For example, the word somnambulist is made up of the prefix "somn," the root "ambul," and the suffix "ist." When the word somnambulist is taken in as a whole, it may leave one to wonder what the word means. However, if the word is broken into its parts, the meaning becomes apparent. "Somn" = sleep; "ambul" = walk, and "ist" = person. Thus, the meaning of somnambulist is sleepwalker.

In addition to introducing children to the above, parents should introduce their children to the library. A library card is free to all who apply. It's amazing how few students visit the library outside of school, and parents rarely make the library a part of their children's educational resources.

What parents need to understand is education is a discovery process. To think that teachers can teach children all they need to know in order to be successful is ludicrous. Education is a continuous process that hinges on one's ability to comprehend the material and/or information being disbursed. "Reading is fundamental," and education begins at home.

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